A Short History Of Ganjifa Cards
Kishor Gordhandas
25 November 2007, 15:05Part One of “A Short History Of Ganjifa Cards” involved the efforts of three people to reach these pages. Kishor of course did all the research, writing, and supplied the artwork. Eriana Marcus is responsible for the majority of the work done readying the art for display on the Internet, while Richard Marcus formatted and is responsible for the final layout. Part Two will continue where we left off in the history and description of these remarkable, predominantly hand painted “playing cards”
Among the popular pastimes of Ancient India, the Game of Cards (Ganjifa) found as much favour with the Kings, Courtiers, and general masses as the Pachisi (Dice) and Chess. While the popularity of Chess continues unabated to this day, the Ganjifa Cards and their Games have passed into the oblivion.
We do not know whether the card games were played for amusements or speculation but the Indian Ganjifa Cards were, and are, extremely colourful and painted in such a wide variety as to take one’s breath away.
In Mumbai alone, every year some two million playing cards are sold. This represents only 10 % of the total sales of cards in India and are usually the printed packs of 52 cards following the International pattern, and French suited. But the standard playing cards of India are ninety-six card sets of Moghul Ganjifa, and 120 or 144 card sets of Dashavatara Ganjifa.
Many theories have been put forward concerning the origin of Playing Cards, and many countries have claimed to be their birthplace. The general assumption is Moghul Emperors brought the cards to India early in the sixteenth century. Once established, the cards spread to most regions of India either in the original form known as Moghul Ganjifa, or in their slightly later Hindu form; ten suits of twelve cards each, known as Dashavatara Ganjifa.
GANJIFA is a generic word signifying Playing Cards or Card Games in India, Nepal, Iran, some Arab Countries, and Turkey. The word Ganjifa is obscure. “Gunj” is a Persian word, meaning treasure, treasury or minted money. There is always one “Money Suit” named after a coin of local currency. In our Moghul Ganjifa, the two Suits called SAFED and SURKH are said to have represented money: SAFED (White or Silver) represents CHANDRA and SURKH (Red or Gold) represents SURYA.
In June 1527, Babar, the first Moghul Ruler, sent Ganjifa to his friend in Sindh. This was probably the Eight-Suited pack of 96 Cards. By the 16th Century, several different types of Ganjifa Games had already been developed in India. A neatly tabulated description for twelve-suited and an eight-suited packs with all details of the cards and suit signs are provided by Abul Faz’l, the Vizier and Biographer of King Akbar in the book, Ain-i-Akbari.
The names and orders of the eight suits of 96 cards of this Moghul Ganjifa are:
1) Taj: 2) Safed: 3) Shamsher: 4) Ghulam: —These first four are Strong suits.
, 5) Chang: 6) Surkh: 7) Barat: and 8) Qimash: —These last 4 are Weak Suits.
The Moghul Ganjifa having 96 cards consisting of the standard eight suits of 12 cards each is variously known as CHANGA-KANCHAN in Sawantwadi (Maharashtra) and CHANGA-RANI in Nirmal, Andhra Pradesh. It is known as Navagunjara in parts of Orissa , mainly in Puri District and Ath-Rangi Sara in Ganjam District, Orissa.
It is not known when and where the ten-suited Dashavatara Ganjifa originated, but a very good guess would be the Deccan in the 17th Century. Dashavatara Ganjifa Cards with Avataras as incarnates of Shree Vishnu, comprising 120 cards, was the most popular card game in Rajasthan, Bengal, Nepal, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra. The ten incarnations of Vishnu as depicted in almost all Dashavatara Ganjifa Cards are shown in the following order.
Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, and Vamana are the five Weak suits. Whereas the last five Suits, Parashurama, Rama, Balarama or Krishna, Buddha or Jagannath and Kalkin, are the Strong suits. This is important to make a note of while playing the Ganjifa Card Game with Dashavatara Ganjifa Cards.
The structure and the rules of the play of both games, Moghul and Dashavatara Ganjifa, are essentially the same. The Orissan Pack has been extended to twelve suits by the addition of Shri Ganesh and Shri Karthikeya suits and to 16 and 20 suits by the addition of further divinities. There is a tendency in Indian Card Games generally to increase the number of suits in a pack, thereby the number of cards. This makes the game more complex, because it is essential to remember all the cards played out in order to hold back the highest cards possible for the last tricks.
In Maharashtra and Orissa, Ganjifa was a widespread Brahmin pastime. Old people are still seen playing Dashavatara Ganjifa near Puri Temples, mainly with 16-suited 192 card decks. A later Brahmin rationalization of this pursuit was notion that the performance of the game is pleasing to the God. Around 1885, Hari Krishna Venkataramana argued that by playing the Vishnu memorizing game, ones sins are washed away. It is said in Shri Bhagwata Purana, that invoking the name of Vaikunta through gestures, and even via joking and abuse, sins are made to wash away. If the name of the God is used during the game saying, “Your Rama did this” or “Your Matsya lost” and “My Narasimha won”, through the repetition of the God’s name sins are remitted.
There are many variations and forms of the eight-suited Moghul Ganjifa and the ten-suited Dashavatara Ganjifa. Here’s a list of only a few of the many interesting and traditional Ganjifa Cards:
1)A beautifully made Darachitri – Dashavatara Ganjifa, 120 cards from Sawantwadi, Maharashtra.- each card with the God Avatara in the centre of the card.
2)Hinduized form of an eight or ten-suited large size Ramayan Ganjifa cards from Parlakhemundi, Orissa.
5)Eight-suited 96 cards Ashta Dikapala Ganjifa- Eight Regents of the Quarters of the world.- Made by only two artists:- By Appana Mahapatro, Chikiti, Orissa, and another beautifully made set in Mysore Style by the Bangalore artist, both of which consist of 456 Animal vehicles drawn on 96 cards set!
8) 28-suites, 336 Cards – NAKSHATRA or 28 Constellations Ganjifa set with 28 Nakshatra shown on Raja Na Pradhan and 10 numbers in each suit.- made by the late Jagannath Mahapatra of Raghurajpur, Orissa.
9) There are at least Four PRINTED Dashavatara and Moghul Ganjifa sets, one printed in PUNE, Ca. 1940 and the rest printed in Spain and Italy. Those printed in Spain and Italy are the facsimiles of those cards in the respective Museums.
There are also some interesting facsimiles of Older Ganjifa cards in Museums and private collections abroad:
a) 120 Cards, Dashavatara Ganjifa, made in Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh in 18th century, now in Vienna Museum of Ganjifa Cards – by Artist from Sawantwadi, Maharashtra.
b) 120 Cards, Dashavatara Ganjifa, made in NOSSUM, Deccan, around 1850, now in Vienna Museum, Austria – painted by Artist form Nirmal, Andhra Pradesh.
c) 96 Cards, Moghul Ganjifa, of NIneteenth century, original in German Museum, Leinfelden, of Ganjifa cards – made by the Artist form Sawantwadi, Maharashtra.
d) 96 Cards, Dashavatara Ganjifa, of Nineteenth Gentury, original in German Museum, Leinfelden, made by the artist fromm NIRMAL, Andhra Pradesh.
This is the end of Part One of a Two Part series on the beauty and history of the various forms of Ganjifa Cards. You can now read more about the cards in Part Two
Comment
Travails Of A Gourd Artist Mysore Playing Cards - Krishnaraj Chad
Beautiful cards. What a collection. I couldn’t stop admiring them. Simply amazing. Looking forward to Part 2! Definitely a nominee for the Epic India Art Award.
— Ashok Banker · Nov 26, 17:12 · #
Kishora,Richard & Erina have done quite appreciable work to give us a brief,but high quality info. about Ganjifa cards.Viwers will be stunned(as I was on my first visit very recently)to see other Patachitrs on diff. mediums in Raghunathpur,Orissa.Visitors of Puri must spare a day to visit & buy some works to help these highly talented but poor artists of Raghurajpur. Again thanks to Kishore,Erina & Richard.
— Debashis Chattopadhyaydebashis .chattopadhyay@ · Jun 5, 23:27 · #